Storm the Airwaves!

In honor of woman’s history month I’d like to take a moment to thank the women who came before me, the women standing beside me and the women who will carry the torch of our future.

I’ve been in Halestorm for nearly 20 years. If it wasn’t for our “Fore Mothers of Rock n Roll” who came before me, I may not be where I am today. They showed me that it was possible, and that even with all the odds against you, and obstacles in your way… you can achieve your dream. They did not give in, they did not quit, they did not wither. They were a powerful force in inspiring and encouraging me to go after My dream. It’s a reminder, ladies, of how important it is for us to encourage one another. We must be examples, and show our fellow femmes that society’s definition of a “woman” is false. To be a Woman is not One idea of what a woman should be. We are the sum of many women who were brave enough to take risks, carve paths, stand out and be unapologetically themselves. All the great women of history were not the ones who followed the rules, or kept their eyes to the ground. No, all the great women thinkers, inventers, artists and leaders were the woman who broke from the chain, and swam against the current.

As girls we are taught from an early age that beauty is our number one priority. We play with dolls we will never look like, we have make up kits and sticker earrings, glitter and pink. We wear dresses, are told not to get dirty, to be perfect, to be seen and not heard. We learn that “pretty” equals acceptance and love. We are taught as young ladies that the world is a scary place, and that we should get married and settle down lest we die alone. And be sure to have a few kids before it’s too late and your ticking time bomb of a body blows up! And we need products! Products to grow our hair, soften our face, melt the fat, plump our lips, grow our tits, erase scars and stretch marks, make our asses bigger or smaller… because without all these things we are undesirable and therefore not worthy of love.

As we begin to grow, ask questions, and find ourselves as women, everything that makes us happy is somehow wrong… They say, Be independent, but know your place. Make money, but not too much. Be smart, but not too smart, be strong but not too strong or you’ll be a bitch. If you like sex, you’re a slut, if you drink you’re a lush, if you cut your hair your a dyke, if you like rock n roll and metal obviously you’re on a path to hell. We are told that to be women we need to be the Un-be-able, and because societies view of women is such an unattainable goal… inevitably every women loses.

Before I go on, I must be clear that This post is not about a double standard. This is Not about boys vs girls. Because our boys are taught some pretty warped things too about what it means to be a “man”. This post is about the the history of women, battling social “standards” and the evolution of women as we move forward.

I stand on my meager platform, as a women I have fought to proudly do what I love everyday, I am living proof that it is possible and I am in a rare position to encourage… and empower. So, Let’s empower, encourage and teach our girls to be strong, to be smart, to be independent, to ask questions, to be tolerant, to be kind, to be fierce, to love, be passionate and to dream. Show them that their beauty lies within their individuality and doing things that truly make them happy. Lets wear sizes that fit us, not try to fit into sizes that society tells us we should be fitting into. Let’s Get dirty, climb trees, be artists, mechanics, scientists, rockstars and presidents. Let’s stop listening to all the things we are supposed to be and truly start being who we are. We are Women

Today, women everywhere are marching for rights and equality. The fact that we still have to march for this subject in the year 2017 is ridiculous. So I ask, whoever you are that Still thinks women’s rights and equality are not important…..What are you so afraid of? That women will go on to do great things? Well darlings, We already have! Are you afraid women will become leaders? Oops Already have accomplished that too! Maybe we’ll prove once and for all that we really can do anything and everything in this world that you can do. Well damn … guess what… we’ve already proved that too! So now that that’s out of the way… Ok, Maybe you’re just afraid we won’t Need you anymore. Well, calm down my dears, I’m here to REASSURE you that we WILL always need you. We will always need each other. That’s the human way! I’ve been in a band with all boys for 19 years. They are truly the most amazing men I know. They have always treated me with equal respect because they are dude enough to realize we are stronger together. We have a saying in the music industry that it’s not about gender, it’s about talent. Whoever has the talent, gets the gig. Simple. See, you are scared because You are confusing a women’s demand for equality with “take over”. When really all you have to do is look up the word “equality” in the dictionary to realize that it doesn’t mean that we want to be better than you. We don’t want to squash You or make You feel unimportant. We just want You to stop squashing us and making us feel unimportant. Stop and think about how you like to be treated. Seriously, get out a pen and list out all the rights that You have. List the rights over your body, your love, your life and your workplace… is everything just how You like it? Good! Let’s just call it equal then. Deal?

Love, Lzzy

RAW VS PERFECTION

I am not posting this for compliments, or to announce to the world that I’ve been working out, or to get a zillion more likes. I am posting this because I have a super normal body, and I feel like it’s important for all my lady freaks to know that.

We are in an age where there are apps and filters and photoshop and body make up to cover everything that makes us unique as individuals…what makes us human. I was backstage at an awards show sharing the dressing room with lady who you all may know as “ the perfect legs” and in reality, she had normal legs with cellulite, blue veins and a splotchy complexion. But she had two assistants who had a tub of “leg make up” and we’re rubbing her down for 45 minutes to make her stems look like they could be in a Zz Top video! We are chasing some imaginary, unattainable goal. Buying into an image that media created and is using to make us feel so desperate to be someone else that we will buy whatever product they are selling! In rock n roll, every legend that has been born into this world was a weirdo who fought against normalcy and was the underdog or outcast of their group. So I want to inspire you to be a Rockstar! Embrace you’re so called “flaws” which are not flaws at all… And stop trying to be someone else. You are an original… Why would you ever want to be a copy of a copy of someone else who doesn’t even look like that in reality? Be You. Love You. And remember, raw human emotion always wins over “perfection”.

Lzzy Hale

I’ve always admired musicians who err on the side of honesty. These artists give little clues to let you know that they are still human. It always gives me hope and comfort knowing that my idols also make mistakes, struggle to find themselves, and are imperfect. 

In that same spirit I’ve decided to start writing publicly about my personal journeys. It’s therapeutic for me to get my thoughts out. This is why I’ve always written songs and performed music. I always feel better when I get my emotions down on paper…or into someone else’s ear. And hopefully, by doing this, I can provide some insight into my world and inspire some of you through my personal experiences. 

So, lets start with my current vocal adventure, which I’m affectionately calling Lzzy 2.0. 

Some of you may have noticed that over the past year I’ve been struggling with vocal issues. I fatigue a lot easier, I’ve been reaching for high notes that used to be no problem for me to hit, and for the first time ever (as San Francisco, Reno, Spokane and Vancouver know) I had to cancel the end of our last North American tour because I couldn’t even speak. To make matters more confusing, I also gained this weird “squeak” register that had become nearly impossible to control or avoid. This was extremely scary for me, because since the beginning of Halestorm, I’ve never had vocal problems. I have always been able to sing with great ease and flexibility and I have always been very proud of taking good care of my voice. I stay well hydrated, eat well, do warm ups and cool downs etc. I took lessons from Steve Whiteman of KIX when I was a teen, and had remained true and unwavering to everything I was taught since then! So, it was like these problems came out of nowhere, and for no reason! 

I went to more than a few vocal doctors who all put a camera down my throat to check me out. The diagnosis was always the same: I’m healthy, there’s nothing wrong. I have no nodes, polyps, scar tissue, hemorrhaging, bruising; I have nothing wrong with me! So, why am I having problems? This sent me into a rabbit hole of depression. I cried over letting people down, I was scared that I was broken, and I was ashamed and embarrassed of my shortcomings. I’m a fucking professional for christ’s sake! I just put out a new record, I’m at the top of my game…and my voice is not working!!! FUCK! My confidence that I’ve always prided myself on was shot. I used to walk into situations, like guesting with a friend on stage, or studio time, with no doubt in my mind that I could slay. But I was now hesitant and unsure of my abilities. I vented endlessly to my band mates, who know me better than anyone. This was the first time they had ever seen me like this. I felt really lost, and alone; like I had forgotten how to be me.

I know this all might sound dramatic to some of you, but imagine that the ONE THING that defines you (and happens to pay your bills and everyone else’s bills who works with and around you), your VOICE, all of a sudden felt foreign to you and no one could tell you what the problem is! It drove me quite literally out of my mind to the point where I was dreading going on tour, something I LOVE, for fear I couldn’t make it through a set. Yes, yes, playing with back tracks/ lip-syncing is always an option, but that’s just NOT how I roll! A personal decision I made long ago is that I will never mime in front of you guys. I’d rather suck on stage than fake it! So, as a last resort, I decided to start taking vocal lessons again. I thought that maybe if I refresh on some of the basics it’d be kind of like a hard reset for my voice. Enter Ron Anderson. 

Ron is the best vocal coach there is right now. He’s worked with all kinds vocalists for over 25 years, and has been the personal coach of Myles Kennedy, M Shadows, Tom Keifer, Chris Cornell, Lenny Kravitz, Axl Rose, Anthony Kiedis, Haley Williams, and Christina Perri to name a few! 

Into my first week of lessons, Ron asks me how old I am. I tell him I’m 31. He replies, “oh, well that explains a lot”. And went on to tell me something that no vocal coach or doctor ever mentioned before. He said that I’m going through my second vocal “thickening” it’s called. Which is basically like a second “puberty.” I’m experiencing changes in my vocal composition. This is why all the doctors said there was nothing wrong with me, because there isn’t anything wrong with me! I’m not broken; I’m just going through a natural change. Finally, a diagnosis! 

This is something I never knew happened to female vocalists, everyone always talks about boys going through vocal changes, but not girls…but we go through it too. And on a personal level, apparently, my body does this in a fairly short amount of time. Even during my pre-teen years… I remember getting taller and my body changing very rapidly over one summer…I still have the stretch marks to prove it! I wanted to let you guys in on this because I feel like this “vocal thickening” is a subject that should be addressed more and that female vocalists should be informed that, yes, you will go through this in the beginning of your 30s, and most likely again later on in life. Don’t freak out! Its normal…a pain in the ass, but normal. I’ll go into a bit of anatomy now to better explain to you what all this means. A vocalist depends on good vocal balance, flexibility and larynx memory to do what we do. Balance is achieved by keeping your vocal folds and surrounding muscles neutral, it should feel like you are doing no hard work to resonate. Flexibility is the agility and freedom of your voice while singing. Larynx memory is basically like singing by “feel” instead of just making sound and aiming for a note. It’s knowing, through practice, all the notes in your range, and how they feel on the inside. So you can literally, sing anything you can think of, on key, even without a musical reference. It’s important to know your voice very well. For 18 years of Halestorm, this is how I’ve always sung. Also, remember, your vocal cords are just two delicate bands inside your throat that run on air pressure. It takes a balance of air pressure and those vocal folds meeting and communicating with each other for everything to work. When that balance is disrupted, it’s like a domino effect; everything starts breaking down. 

When my voice started to change, my larynx memory shifted due to the thickening of my vocal folds. My balance was thrown off and to compensate for the lack of ease and flexibility, I was pushing more air than needed in order to get sound and tiring myself out quicker. And singing on a tired voice leads to swelling and singing on a swollen voice (because there’s still a gazillion days of tour left) leads to total hoarseness…you get the picture. Ron also told me that the effect this change is having on me is more noticeable because I actually USE my entire range. But you know what, I’m proud of using my entire range on all these albums and eps. I have built a vocal empire of “fuck yes” and I would rather be dealing with these changes now than have played it safe all those years ago. After all, I’ve never been a woman who included the phrases “just in case” and “what if” in her vocabulary. But there is a little positive bonus that came with my second “thickening”… remember that squeaky register that I talked about earlier? Ron and I found out that it is a whole other resonance in the top of my head voice resonance that has expanded my range an octave! Woo hoo! Rob Halford high notes here I come! Speaking of whom, here’s a fun fact for you: if any of you watch some live videos of us playing “Dissident Aggressor” by Judas Priest in the past year or so, I occasionally would tap into this register at the beginning and end note…before I even knew what it was. 

So, “how is it going” you ask?? Well, it’s the beginning of a journey. I am currently still working with Ron Anderson, and slowly getting to know my “new voice.” He is like a spirit guide for my vocals, helping me get re-balanced and back to basics, all the while getting me fully in control of this new high register I’ve achieved. This is not going to be fixed over night; I’m breaking some old habits and developing new ones. I am in the middle of a metamorphosis, but I am dedicated and I’m going to do whatever it takes because, honestly, this is not a choice. I want to sing forever. In addition to my lessons, I’ve also been taking my lifestyle changes a bit further to better my vocal health. I’ve revamped my diet and my rules of the road, and I’m also trying not to get so stressed and “inside my own head” about everything. My manager, Bill McGathy, whom I saw in London last week, told me I seem happier than he’s seen me in while. Good to know it’s showing! 

Halestorm Announce New Headlining Tour Dates

These Grammy-winning Pennsylvania rockers have been tearing up not only the rock music scene, but have added the country music crowd to their roster as of late.  Just announced by the band via Twitter Tweetfest only a couple days ago, there will be a slew of dates across the country to help spread the genre-clash. (more…)

Halestorm - Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac Cover) (Live at Cadillac Jacks, 101 WRIF Detroit, December 8, 2012)

I’ve recently been rediscovering this Grammy Award-winning American rock band within the past month, and I can’t help but be amazed by their obvious talent. Frontwoman Elizabeth “Lzzy” Hale is such a powerhouse as she has all the vocal talent to truly emit the power, flavor, and angst of hardcore metal and rock music. And, their take on this classic Fleetwood Mac song makes me so happy.

Backed by such trained and experienced musicians on guitar, percussion and bass, the foursome-act lends way to such a solid performance that breeds on the depth of sound, instrumentation, and natural chemistry. They do Fleetwood Mac justice with this song, bringing their own hardcore rock flavor to it, providing more angst and attitude (of course with Lzzy’s powerhouse vocals) than Stevie Nicks and her softer, wistful soul could do.

Lzzy definitely becomes her own sort of gold dust woman here. The build-up throughout this song is brilliant as one gets more and more lost within the transcending-nature of this angsty-lullaby (that bridge is such a trance!).

Arejay Hale drum solo/ “Dissident Aggressor” cover

09/22/2013, Showbox, Seattle Washington